04/16/2015
HB 2092A VOTE: NO
Died in Committee
HB 2092 Establishes Zero-Emission Incentive Fund used to auction tax credits and give rebates for zero emission vehicles or alternative fuels vehicles.
Personal Choice. Uses tax incentives to coerce personal choice. Taxpayers fund the Zero-Emission Incentive Fund through giving tax credits to donors. The funds are then used for tax rebates for purchasing electric type vehicles again funded by taxpayers.
Fiscal Responsibility. Interferes with state's natural economy. Establishes the Zero-Emission Incentive Fund from donations up to $15 million for tax credits meaning taxpayers will ultimately be funding the Fund. The funds are used to sell tax credits for providing marketing services to the amount of $30 million, also another lose to taxpayers. Taxpayers are again on the hook for rebates to purchasers of qualifying vehicles, which is based on electric operation.
This bill is aimed towards zero-emission reducing carbon. But this is a high price to taxpayers for such little. "The EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation released their fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions rules which includes a plan (for 2016) to count vehicles’ emissions back to their CO2 emitting power plant. According to the EPA’s calculations, for a midsize car, electricity’s upstream emissions are about three times higher than gasoline’s upstream emissions."
The Union of Concerned Scientists report, State of Charge: Electric Vehicles' Global Warming Emissions and Fuel-Cost Savings Across the United States, compares the global warming emissions from EVs with those from gasoline-powered vehicles and finds that Oregon is rated with 45% of the U.S. where EVs produce lower global warming emissions than even the most fuel-efficient gasoline hybrids on the market today (greater than 50 mpg).
A study in Minnesota takes into account power plants primarily using natural gas and coal. "In comparison to the rest of the country, we are about middle range in terms of emissions produced for electricity. For a standard gasoline vehicle or HEV, the GHG emissions would be 0.3055 kg CO2e per mile. In fact, both vehicles produce approximately the same emissions per mile. Any vehicles that get a gasoline mileage of more than 30.5 mpg would produce the same emissions as a PHEV or EV that gets 35 kwh/100 miles in the Minnesota electric grid region."
Limited Government
Fuel choice is not an appropriate function of government. Which ever study you use, tax incentives for little return is a misuse of taxpayer's money.
Free Markets
Interferes with free market motivators.
Sunsets January 1, 2022.
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